Local residents deliver baked goods to thank utility workers

Like many residents in the area, the Davey family of Hampton found themselves without electricity Friday as a result of the powerful Winter Storm Riley.

While the Daveys were fortunate enough to get their power back around 7 p.m. Saturday, Heather Davey knew that linemen from several states were still working feverishly to restore thousands of other households throughout North Jersey.

As she watched her two children -- Lily, 5, and Carter, 2 -- play with iPads and other electronic devices Sunday afternoon, Davey suddenly saw an opportunity to teach them an important life lesson.

"My kids are so young, but we can start them to appreciate what they have at such a young age," Davey said during a phone interview with the New Jersey Herald Monday. "For five and two-and-a-half, they have a pretty good life, and I just want them to appreciate it."

With the help of their mother, Lily and Carter baked more than six dozen cookies Sunday as a show of gratitude to the linemen working long hours to bring power back to the region. When the sweet treats were ready, the trio, driven by Heather's husband Ben, stopped at any truck they saw and delivered the cookies in little sandwich bags to the workers.

As tension rises among residents still without power, Davey said the linemen were somewhat apprehensive upon seeing a stranger approach them. Before she could get a word in to one worker, he immediately began apologizing for the outages and assured her that the crews were working hard.

"That's so sad that his first reaction was to defend what they're doing," Davey said. "These guys are risking their lives. I don't think people get it."

Another linemen, upon seeing Davey holding something in her hand and approaching his truck, commented to her afterward, "We thought you were going to throw something at us."

Davey said she was "mortified" to hear of the workers' suspicions, and she urged the public to think twice before being critical of their efforts.

"People are complaining, and they think that these companies are doing nothing," Davey said. "These (workers), they're out there busting their butt and they're leaving their families."

Jennifer Ann Sharp, of Sandyston, may be a bit biased -- her father Scott Mererrieks is a lineman for Sussex Rural Electric -- but she knows first-hand the grueling work and long shifts the crews are working to get power restored for all. Sharp said her father is working 16-hour shifts.

Sharp and her sons, Troy Sharp, 10, Tallon Sharp, 4, and Tace Sharp, 3, took to the kitchen Monday morning and baked cookies, banana bread and brownies, got a few cases of water and traveled the county, stopping to drop off the goodies to all linemen they came across.

"There are so many workers out there that are away from their families and anything, such as this, goes a long way for them," Sharp said.

The deliveries were met with smiling faces from utility workers.

One of the linemen Davey talked to had traveled from Indiana, while she recognized another as a fellow graduate of Kittatinny Regional High School. Davey's classmate informed her that he may not get power back in his own home until Thursday, and he gave up spending time with his pregnant wife to help with the restoration.

Davey posted two pictures on her private Facebook page Sunday afternoon along with a message explaining her family's efforts, and a friend soon asked her to make the post public so he could share it. As of Monday evening, more than 9,000 people have reacted to the post and 3,600 have shared it.

Davey said she has tried to at least "like" every one of the hundreds of comments left on her page, and she has replied to numerous people who either work as linemen or have family members who do. Some users have even commented that the Daveys have inspired them to donate pizza and other foods to workers they see.

In baking the cookies and interacting with the linemen, Davey feels that her children have taken her original message of kindness to heart. When passing the utility trucks, Carter excitedly yells "thank you!" to the men out the car window. And when Davey asked Lily why they made treats for the workers, she pointed to the ceiling and said, "because they fixed our lights."

With power outages also comes frustration, but Sharp urges residents to consider taking it a bit easy on the utility workers "who still need to drive home after work to help their own families, shower, change, sleep, and head back to work."

She lauded those that are assisting with the restoration, including tree company workers and phone and internet workers, and was glad she was able to offer a simple "thank you" by way of fresh goods.

Sharp hopes others will follow suit.

"We really just wanted to show our appreciation to them," she said. "If you see workers, the nice thing to do is offer them a snack or hot coffee or just a simple ‘thank you.' It goes a long way."

The Daveys were back on the road Monday, delivering leftover cookies and Gatorade to workers still in the area. Overall, Heather Davey expressed pride that so many area residents have responded positively to their hard work.

"Hopefully, there are enough nice people that outweigh the negative people," she said.